The Wasteland Chronicles: The Capital Wasteland
by KerfuffleMach2
Summary: A young woman is forced to leave the only home she has ever known. On a mission to find her father, can she overcome the obstacles that lie before her?
1. The Saga Begins

**Author's Note:** I'm going to be changing some things up to fit my story better. Not too much, but enough. Also, I will be naming the chapters with titles or lyrics from songs I like. Because I can. I will list the song at the bottom of the chapter.

I will do my best, but I cannot promise regular updates. Because life. But the time between chapters shouldn't be too long.

Also, this is the first story I have ever written. So, please don't judge it too harshly. Comments are welcome!

-

 **The Saga Begins**

This is the story of a girl. Actually, a young woman.

I mean, a teenage girl.

No. Wait. Let me start over.

...

This is the story of me. Of the things I've seen. The things I've done. Both good, and bad. Beautiful, and ugly. Amazing, and horrifying.

I could probably keep going with the descriptions like that. One of the great things about the English language is that you never seem to run out of synonyms. But, I'm here to tell a story. Might as well get to that, right? Right.

So, the story begins one fateful day...

-

"Molly! Wake up! Now!" 

The yelling and shaking of my shoulder brought me out of a deep sleep. I lifted my face from my pillow and blinked a few times as my brain tried to get started. "Huh...what? Amata? What's up?"

"Come on, hurry up! They're looking for you!"

Amata Almodovar was my best friend. We were thick as thieves for most of our lives. Much to her father's displeasure. Anyways, hearing the panic in her voice woke me up faster. I sat up and rubbed eyes a bit. That's when I heard the alarms going off in the vault. That was...unusual.

"Looking for me? Who? Why?"

...okay, look, I didn't get much sleep that night. So my brain wasn't fully functional. Which is why my responses were pretty simple. I'm usually much more eloquent with my vocabulary. See? I used the word "eloquent".

Amata quickly glanced at my door, like she thought something was gonna burst through and attack us at any moment. "The security force! Your father left the vault, and my father is furious!"

That got my attention pretty quick. "Wait, what!? How the hell could my dad leave? Why would he leave?"

Amata gave a quick shrug. "I don't know. But my father is convinced that you know all about it, and he's determined to get answers from you."

That scared me a bit. You see, Amata's dad was the Overseer of the vault. The guy in charge. The head honcho. The big boss. And other fitting colloquialisms. And he wasn't always known for being the most rational or forgiving guy. Especially when it came to his daughter and the security of the vault.

I rubbed my forehead a bit, trying to process all of this. My dad left the vault. He left me! Why!? Why would he just up and leave without saying anything to me? It didn't make any sense.

"So they're sounding the alarms because he left? What, did he leave the door open?" By this point, I had gotten out of bed and started pulling on my vault jumpsuit. I know, a jumpsuit isn't exactly the most common article of clothing. And for good reason. Damn things got uncomfortable very quick. But, it was the only thing available to wear in the vaults. So, I wore it. Better than walking around naked.

Amata shook her head. "No, they're going off because a bunch of radroaches got in. Everybody but the security force is supposed to stay in their dorms."

"Shit." I zipped up my jumpsuit and thought about this for a moment. I had no idea why my dad left. Odds were good that the Overseer wouldn't believe me. And I really didn't want to find out what he would do too me when I didn't tell him what he wanted to hear. He scared me sometimes. Which really left only one option open for me. "Amata, can you help me figure out how to leave the vault?"

Amata's eyes widened in surprise. "What? You want to leave? Why?"

"It's my best option. I don't think you're dad is gonna believe that I have no reason why my dad left."

Amata sighed a bit. She loved her dad, but even she couldn't deny that he was, at times, unreasonable. "You have a point. But couldn't you just hide here for a while?"

I scoffed a bit. "Where? You're dad would tear this place apart to find me. Plus...I need to find my dad. I need to know why."

I must have let some emotion or another slip through my voice, because Amata looked a bit concerned all of a sudden. She took a breath, then nodded. "Alright. I'll help you."

I smiled a bit, and pulled my friend into a hug. "Thanks, Amata. You're almost a good friend."

She chuckled and swatted the back of my head. "Ass."

-

Okay, so at this point, you might have a few questions. And I think I can guess a few of them. So, let me answer those ones.

Back in the mid 21st century, the world was heavily dependent on oil. And, of course, it became extremely scarce. Rather than try to figure out ways to get by without it, the nations of the world started fighting each other over what little was left. This went on for a little over twenty years. Then, on October 23rd, 2077, the fighting reached its breaking point. Nobody knows who launched them first, but it wasn't long until the skies were filled with nuclear warheads all around the world. Death and destruction blanketed the planet that day.

Now, in the early years of the war, the U.S. thought that it might end in nuclear war. So, the government appointed Vault-Tec Corporation to proceed with their plan to build vaults throughout the country. The vaults were built underground, designed to easily house a thousand people each. They were made to keep a portion of the population safe when the bombs fell, so humanity could live on.

We all lived in Vault 101. The Overseer was the person in charge of the vault. When one died, their next of kin would take over. The vault door was locked when the bombs fell, and it had stayed that way for the past two hundred years. Nobody left. Nobody entered. We were born in the vault, and we would die in the vault.

-

I went over to my closet and pulled out a backpack, which I quickly started stuffing with what I thought I would need. Some clothes. Extra shoes. Some packs of snacks that I liked to hoard from the kitchen. A pocketknife my dad got my for my birthday a few years ago. I also grabbed another birthday present from my dad. Back when I turned ten, my dad somehow managed to get his hands on a BB gun. I now knew that it wasn't really much of a weapon, but back then, this was like finding a flying unicorn that had laser eyes. It was pretty badass to me. My dad and his assistant, Jonas, had set up a little shooting range in an unused area near the reactor room. Up to this day, I still went down there every so often. I actually found it to be a good way to clear my head and relax. All that practice was about to become useful.

I slipped the strap for the gun over my shoulder, then found the extra ammo and pocketed it. Amata watched me get ready with some concern. I could tell that she didn't want me to do this. But, she also knew that I had to. Once I was ready, I turned to her and said, "Alright. Let's do this."

Amata hesitated a brief moment. "Actually...here. You might need this." She reached behind her back and pulled out a 10 mm handgun, which she offered to me. I took the weapon and looked it over for a moment. It was one of the ones used by the security force. Did she already know that I was going to leave as well? Or did she just grab it because of the radroaches? I had no idea. I saw that it had a full clip, and Amata handed over another one as well. I stuck it into my pocket. "I really hope I don't. But thanks."

Amata nodded a bit, still looking a bit worried. "I know how to get to the vault door. There's a passage in the Overseer's office. I'll meet you there. The security force isn't looking for me." She hesitated again, then gave me another hug. "You be safe, okay? The radroaches are still in the halls."

I patted her head a bit and smiled. "Don't worry. I'll be fine. I'll see you in a bit." Then she let go of me and headed out the door.

I waited for a minute before heading out as well. When I got to the door, though, I stopped and went back to my closet. I grabbed the wooden baseball bat that was there. The vault had a couple baseball teams, and even though I hadn't played in a few years, I was a pretty good hitter back then. I even set the record for home runs one years. I figured a melee weapon would be handy in the close quarters of the vault.

Bat in hand, I headed out of my bedroom and towards the hall of the dorms level. I peaked into the hall, making sure nobody was there, before leaving. I got about three steps into the hall when Officer Kendall rounded the far corner. We both stopped when we saw each other, not exactly sure what to do. Then he raised his gun and shouted, "There she is! Hold it right there!"

I will admit, I panicked. I mean, sure, I was determined to do whatever I had to do to get out of the vault and find my dad. And if that meant fighting some people to do it, then so be it. But, it's one thing to have those thoughts while standing in the security of your bedroom. It was another thing to be staring down the barrel of a gun and trying really, really hard to not pass out in fear. Or piss myself.

So, Officer Kendall strolled down the hall towards me, his gun pointed at me, while I tried to keep my bladder from letting its contents go. Then, from a doorway on his left, a group of three radroaches scurried out and took the officer by surprise, latching onto his legs and causing him to fall, screaming in pain.

Radroaches were once normal, tiny cockroaches. After a couple hundred years of being exposed to the radiation outside, though, they were now the size of a bulldog. And they were mean. I guess centuries of being hated and exterminated would piss off any species.

"Ah! Get it off me!"

I snapped out of my daze and saw Officer Kendall try to fight off the creatures. His efforts were in vain. The bugs crawled over his body and went right for his throat, silencing his screams. This was my first experience with a violent death. I'd seen people die of disease and old age before. I'd never seen anybody killed. It made me sick.

No time to vomit, though. The bugs, having taken out the officer, turned their attention to me. Guess they just liked to kill for the fun of it. They scurried down the hall, making weird chattering noises with their mandibles as they went. I tightened my grip on the bat and got ready. The first one leaped at me, and I hit it dead center with all of my might, sending it flying down the hall away from me. It hit the wall with a splat, leaving most of its insides of the steel as it slid down to the floor. I didn't have time to watch, though, as the other two were quickly trying to succeed where their comrade failed. I kicked one down the hall, then brought my bat down on the third one, smashing it into the floor. The second one recovered and charged again. I repeated the previous swing of me bat and ended its life.

I stood there for a moment, taking in a couple deep breaths. Never really knew how fighting for your life could affect you until then.

I lifted my bat and walked over to the corpse of Officer Kendall. I didn't really know him very well, but I did know his daughters, Christine and Monica. I felt guilty about having just stood there and watched as the radroaches killed him. And also about what I was about to do next. You see, the security officers of the vault had riot gear. Simple body armor and helmets. And those would definitely protect me better than my simple jumpsuit. So, I did the logical thing. I looted his corpse. I really, emreally/em didn't like doing it. But I knew it was needed if I was gonna get out. I also took the ammo for his gun. Then, making sure the armor was on good, I continued my way down the hall. I didn't get far before I saw somebody that I knew. And didn't like.

Butch DeLoria.

To sum it up, Butch was an asshole. He loved fucking with people. He also lead a small gang, called the Tunnel Snakes. He was rude, crude, and found enjoyment in messing with people and generally causing trouble.

So, when he saw me and came came over, I gripped my bat tighter, expecting trouble. I really didn't have time for his shit. What he said when he got to me caught me completely off guard, though.

"Molly! You gotta help me! My mom's trapped in there with the radroches!"

Now, I really didn't like this guy. I had fought him a few times in the past because of his antics. Usually kicked his ass, too. But, after seeing what the bugs did to Kendall, I couldn't let that happen to anybody else. "Fuck," I said under my breath. "Fine. Follow me." I started walking quickly towards his dorm. 

His eyes went wide with fear. "No, no, I can't! It's dark in there...and there's radroaches!"

In other situations, I probably would've laughed at that. Here's a guy that's full of himself, always bragging about how great he is and stuff. And now he's almost pissing himself over a few radroaches. However, at that moment, I just shook my head as I walked. "Fine. Wait here, then."

I entered his dorm to find his mom crouched down on the floor, crying as three radroaches harassed her. My bat was gonna be useless here. I'd probably hit her if I swung at the bugs. So I pulled out the pistol that Amata gave me. And that's when the V.A.T.S. kicked in.

Everybody in a vault is given a Pip-Boy 3000 when they turn ten. The Pip-Boy is a computer worn on your arm. Sensors on it contact your skin, and the computer can monitor your vitals. It can also be used to store a lot of data, as a communication tool, and as a radio. And it also had a program called V.A.T.S. (Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System). It was a program to help the user target enemies and take them out. Which made no sense to me, since we lived our lives in the vault, and there weren't any threats down here. However, at this point, I was glad it was there.

Time seemed to slow down for me as I aimed at the bugs. I pulled the trigger once, and as the bullet sailed towards the first radroach, I was already targeting the next. Faster than any average person could manage, I took out the three creatures. Ellen cowered on the floor a moment more before realizing that the threat was gone. Butch ran into the room, a look of surprise and relief on his face as he saw the dead radroaches on the floor. Then he did something that surprised the crap out of me. He pulled me into a tight hug and started cheering. "Yeah, you did it! You saved her! You rule!"

I struggled to breath through his tight embrace. "Okay...welcome...let go!" He released me, a huge grin on his face. I took a breath. "You're welcome."

He slapped my back, almost sending me to the floor. "You're alright. Ya know what? Here, I'm gonna give you my jacket. You're a Tunnel Snake now!"

I took the jacket with some hesitation. I mean, I guess it was a nice gesture. But what was I gonna do with a jacket? "Uh...thanks." I stuck it into my backpack. By this point, Ellen had picked herself off the floor, found a whiskey bottle that wasn't empty, and was working on fixing that. I sighed inwardly a bit. Butch's mom had been an alcoholic as far back as I can remember. It was probably one of the main reasons behind Butch's attitude.

Once the jacket was tucked away, I headed for the door. "Right, you two stay here and keep the door shut. More of them might still be out there." Butch nodded, still a bit hyper from the situation. I left them alone and headed down the hall, towards the atrium of the vault. Normally, you could get to the main entrance from the atrium. But, the Overseer had probably locked it and put some people there to guard it. Which was why Amata suggested the path through the Overseer's office.

At the entrance to the atrium, I saw Tom and Mary Holden talking to each other. The young couple were debating about whether or not they should run for the main entrance. Before I could stop him, Tom went for it. He got the the hall leading to the entrance, and was immediately gunned down by the security officers there. Mary screamed out in pain and rage. I grabbed her arm, but she pulled free and ran towards her husband's body. She met the same fate as him.

My vision blurred with tears. I didn't know them well, but I liked them. They didn't deserve that fate.

I ran out into the atrium, drawing the 10mm as I went. "YOU FUCKING BASTARDS!" I screamed as the officers came into view. Using V.A.T.S., I sent a round right through the face shields of their riot helmets, killing them instantly. I held the gun out in front of me as their bodies dropped. The gravity of what I just did hit me hard. I killed two men. Yes, they were gonna shoot me. Yes, they had just killed two innocent people. Yes, in my head, their deaths were necessary. But...I still couldn't believe that I did it. I killed them. Their lives were now over because of me.

I almost vomited again. I did not like this at all. I cursed both the Overseer and my dad for putting me into this position. Not bothering to search the guards for ammo, I headed towards the Overseer's office. On my way, I went past the security center. Through the window, I saw something that made me stop dead in my tracks. Officer Mack and the Overseer himself were in the office. They seemed to be interrogating somebody. That person was Amata. The door was open, so, avoiding the window, I crept over to it so I could listen.

"Now, Amata, you need to tell me where she is." The Overseer was trying to sound pleasant. Like this was an everyday conversation. But there was a slight threat to his voice.

"I told you, I don't know!" Amata sounded scared. I clenched my fist at that. This was his own daughter!

"You better tell us what we want, if you know what's good for you!" Officer Mack sounded like he was enjoying this. I made a mental note to punch him in the face soon.

"Amata, if you don't cooperate, I'm afraid I will have no choice but to let Officer Mack try to gather the information." I sucked in a breath. Was the Overseer saying what I thought he was saying? Was he really going to let somebody beat his own daughter?

Amata seemed to reach the same conclusion as me, because I heard her gasp in surprise. "No! Father, don't! I don't know anything!"

The Overseer sighed. "Very well. You leave me no choice. Officer Mack, if you would."

I peeked into the doorway just in time to see Mack backhand Amata hard across her face. Amata cried out in pain. And my patience snapped.

I stepped into the room, hatred on my face. "Hey, asshole! Looking for me?" Both the Overseer and Mack turned around in shock. Even Amata seemed surprised.

"There she is! Officer Mack, subdue her!" Officer Mack drew his gun and aimed it at me. I don't know if he was aiming for my legs to cripple me, or if he just wanted to ignore the Overseer and kill me right there. I wasn't taking any chances. I activated V.A.T.S. and fired before he could. The bullet went into his forehead and out the back, and his body crumpled to the for. I quickly aimed the gun at the Overseer, certain he was gonna try to shoot me next. To my slight surprise, he didn't seem to be armed. He just threw his hands in the air and gave me a very intense look of disgust and hatred.

"Molly, don't! Don't shoot him!" Amata ran up to me. Despite the now red and swelling mark on her face, caused by her father, my friend still wanted to save the man. I kept my gun and eyes pointed at him. "I won't if he won't."

The Overseer sneered. "Why not? You've already killed several people today. what's one more, huh?" 

Amata gasped a bit, and I sighed. "I killed people who were about to kill me. Unlike your officers, who gunned down innocent people!"

"They were keeping the vault secure!"

"Oh, bullshit! You're just a power hungry madman, afraid of his control slipping!"

"Enough!" Amata stepped between us, her gaze changing from her father, to me, and back. "Father, Molly is right. What you've done was wrong."

"What I did was to keep this vault safe! The outside is filled with nothing but death." He pointed at me. "You're father has risked all of our lives by opening that door! Now you're gonna tell me why he left!"

I scoffed. "Okay, couple things. First off, I'm the one with the gun, not you. Second, I have no fucking clue why he up and left. Third, even if I did know, why the hell would I tell you?" I paused a moment, still glaring at the Overseer. "So, what's going to happen now is that you're gonna go into the holding cell over there and wait. I'm gonna leave the vault. And you're not gonna stop me."

The Overseer stood there for a moment, still sneering at me. Then, calmly, he walked to the holding cell, never taking his eyes off of me. "I always knew you and your father were bad seeds."

Once I locked him in, I lowered the gun and responded by flipping him the bird. Then I turned back to Amata, who still seemed to be in some shock.

"Is it true, Molly? Did my father have people killed? Did...did you kill?"

I let out a heavy sigh. "Tom and Mary were gunned down when they tried to leave the vault. I...got a bit angry at that and killed the officers who killed them."

Amata looked at me with worry. And a touch of fear. Which hurt me. A lot. She took a breath, then turned and left the room. "Come on," I heard her say from the hall. I sighed and followed her to the Overseer's office, putting away the pistol. Just before the office door, we came across a sight that disturbed us both. Lying on the floor was the body of Jonas, my dad's assistant and friend. His clothes were torn a bit, and his face was bloody and bruised. He had three holes in his chest.

I clenched my fist as I felt my rage rise again. "They beat him...they fucking beat him and then shot him."

Amata turned away from the sight. "Why?"

"Probably to find out what he knew about my dad leaving." Something in the pocket of his labcoat caught my eye. I bent down and pulled out a holotape. I put it in my backpack, deciding to listen to it later. "Alright, Amata. Let's get this over with." Amata nodded, and we headed into the Overseer's office. Amata went to the main computer and started working on getting the secret tunnel open. While she did that, I decided to check out his other computer. I went through various files about general duties he performed. One of the files talked about him paying the Tunnel Snakes for something. I copied that to my Pip-Boy for future reading. I then came across a set of files that shocked me. They talked about a small group being sent out into the wastes decades ago. There were scouting reports, mentioning a small settlement nearby. And giant ants. There were even pictures. "Shit." So not only was the Overseer a power hungry tyrant, he was also a lying bastard. I copied those files as well. They might become useful.

Amata stepped away from the desk. "Alright, here we go." There was hissing noise, and the desk rose into the air, revealing a set of stairs going into a tunnel. We followed it to a large door, which opened to the room with the main vault door. This was actually my first time seeing it. I looked like a giant cog.

I went to the control panel, found the lever I needed, and pulled it. A klaxon sounded, and lights flashed. A large arm swung down from the ceiling and latched onto the back of the cog. With a horrible screech and lots of sparks, the door was dragged back a couple of feet. Then it rolled to the side. Beyond it was a dark, rocky tunnel.

This was it. The door was open, and I was going to leave the vault. To find me dad. Needless to say, I was a bit nervous. But, I had to do this. "Alright. Let's go."

Amata hesitated. "Actually...I think I need to stay here."

That caught me by surprise. I turned to face her. "What? You want to stay? After what your dad did?"

"That's why I need to stay. Clearly, he isn't fit to be in charge anymore. And there's no telling who else he will hurt. I have to stay. To do what I can to save the people here."

...in all honesty, her logic was sound. And I probably would've stayed as well. If it wasn't for the fact that I had to find my dad.

I let out a heavy sigh, then pulled her into a tight hug. "You be safe."

She patted me on the back. "You too. Find your dad, and bring him back."

I nodded a bit. "You bet your ass I will." I let go, then turned to face the tunnel. I took a deep breath, then walked forward. Down some stairs. And out of the only home I had ever known.

When I got about ten feet away, I heard the klaxon go off again. I turned to see Amata at the panel, waving to me as the cog rolled back into place. With another screech and more sparks, it slid shut. Closing me off from my world, and tossing me into the unknown.

-

 _The Saga Begins – Weird Al Yankovic_


	2. Welcome to the Jungle

**Welcome to the Jungle**

So, there I was, standing alone in a dark tunnel outside of the only place I had ever known in my life. I mean, sure, I had learned about the surrounding area in school. But, I had never left the vault. Nobody had. Well, that's what we were told, at least. I remembered the files I had found about the scouting party being sent out. Some people in the vault had been outside before. And we were never told about it.

I shook my head a bit. That was something I could worry about later. First things first. It was really, really dark in this tunnel. I flipped a switch on my Pip-Boy to turn on the flashlight built into it. And then immediately jumped and shouted in surprise.

Lying on the ground, near the entrance to the vault, were several human skeletons.

I quickly backed up to the wall, my hand on my chest as I felt my heart race. Totally wasn't expecting that. I stared at them in shock for a moment before my curiosity got to me and I moved closer to inspect them. Among the skeletons were several handmade signs, all beginning for the vault to be opened. Which means that these skeletons had been here since the bombs fell. I shuddered a bit at that thought. What a horrible way to go. Death and destruction behind you, and only a steel door in front of you keeping you from safety.

I took a couple breaths to steady myself, then looked down the tunnel away from the vault. The tunnel wasn't very long, and went slightly uphill before ending at what seemed to be a shoddy wooden wall. I made my way towards it, being cautious of any unknown elements. I mean, I knew the odds were good that nothing was going to happen when I opened the door in the wall. But, after nineteen years of having the fear of the outside drilled into my head, I couldn't help but be cautious. I stopped right before the door, hesitating a moment. I knew that when the vault door closed, it was too late for me to turn back. But this is when I actually got that feeling. When it actually hit me that whatever my future held, it was out there. Beyond this door. I gripped my pistol tightly, took a deep breath and opened the door.

The very first thing I noticed was that the sunlight was way brighter than I had thought. I mean, damn. That was bright. I had not been able to imagine anything that bright before. None of the lights in the vault even came close to it. I had to bring my free hand up to my eyes to help block out what my eyelids couldn't. That was gonna take some getting used to.

The next thing I notice was the smell. In the vault, the air was constantly being circulated and run through purifiers. It was clean, but it wasn't fresh. It was the same air that had been down there since the door was sealed two hundred years ago. But this air...it was new. It was...different. Not better. Not worse. Just different.

After a couple moments, I brought my hand away from my face and looked down, letting my eyes adjust to the light on the ground. It took a few minutes, but eventually I could stand to look around. And man...the view around me...it's hard to describe, exactly. I had grown up in enclosed spaces my whole life. Walls, ceilings, floors, all made of steel. All clearly planned out and designed to meet a standard. Clearly man made. But what I saw now? It was...chaotic. Random. There was no rhyme or reason to it. It just...was. And the sky...it actually took me a long time to get used to not having anything above my head.

Once the initial shock of it wore off, I started to actually pay attention to my surroundings. I was on a ledge that was overlooking a road. Abandoned hunks of metal that used to be cars lined both sides of the road. The road went to my left and into the remnants of a small town. Skeletons of houses followed the road. I pulled up an old map on my Pip-Boy, and it said that the collections of buildings was a small town called Springvale. The bombs and time had both did a number on it. It didn't seem like anybody lived there anymore.

Directly in front of me, in the distance, I could make out what looked kind of like a giant, steel teepee. I checked the notes from the scouting report and figured out that it was the settlement of Megaton. Odd name for a settlement, but, hey, this was pretty much a new society. Might be an average name now. Checking the notes from the report against the old world map, I figured that I could get to Megaton by following the road in front of me into Springvale, then going south east a little ways. I double checked that I still had everything with me before climbing down to the road.

There were a few reasons I decided to head to Megaton. There first was proximity. It seemed to be the closest places with signs of other people. The second was that, according to the reports, the people of Megaton were mostly friendly. And last was that both of those reason probably meant that my dad headed there as well. So, as good of a place to start the search as any.

I reached the road and started heading for the town. The pavement was all sorts of torn and cracked, with gaping holes often found in it. Pretty sure it classified as rough terrain. Once I reached the first ruined house, I noticed movement ahead of me. There was a sphere floating above the road. A metal sphere, with a grill on the front and several thin metal antennae coming off of it. It lazily floated around, blaring some patriotic sounding music as it went. I watched it for a moment, then quickly darted into the broken house. I had no idea if it was hostile or not, but why take chances? I figured I'd wait until it went away before moving on. So, I leaned out a bit to watch it.

Just as the song ended, a loud bang rang out from the distance, and the sphere rocked to one side, now sparking from a small hole that suddenly appeared. Now, I really only had any experience with the pistol in my hand, but I was pretty sure that was a gunshot. I didn't have much time to ponder that, though, as there was a shout from another house. A shirtless man leaped out of the building and swung a crowbar at the sphere, denting its body with a loud thunk. The sphere spun to face him, and a red beam of light shot out from its front, hitting the man right in the face. He barely had time to scream in pain before he turned into a pile of ash on the ground. There were a couple more gunshots from the distance, and a few more holes appeared in the sphere. That damage was more than it could handle, and it fell to the ground, still emitting sparks from the holes.

I stood frozen in place as I watched two people approach the sphere. Both were dirty, scarred looking men, wearing an odd assortment of cloth, leather, and metal. One had goggles on and was bald. The other had on a welder's mask, and had long, shaggy hair. They kicked the sphere a couple of times, probably making sure it was dead.

"Alright! Got some scrap metal!" The one with the goggles bent down and started trying to tear pieces off of the sphere.

The masked man glanced at the ash pile. "Why the fuck did Hans run at the eyebot like that? Fucking idiot."

The guy with the goggles shrugged, not looking up from his work. "No idea. Asshole was probably hopped up on Psycho or something."

The mask guy kicked the ashes a bit, then looked around a little. He looked in my direction, but I must have been hidden well enough, because he didn't notice me. "Eh, fuckhead deserved it. Any idea where Blue went?"

Goggles shook his head. "Nope. Probably not too far, though."

That was when I heard the footstep behind me. I spun around just in time to see a woman wearing pants made in a similar fashion as the two men, a pseudo-bra made of what might have been small hubcaps, and sporting a tall, blue mohawk. Then I saw her fist flying towards my face. She connected with the right side of my jaw, which sent me down to the ground. My security helmet came off when I landed, and the shock of the impact made me drop my gun, too. I barely had time to register this before she had grabbed a handful of my brown hair and pulled me up to my feet. I started to struggle, but I felt the sharp touch of a blade against my throat. I immediately froze.

The two men heard all this and watched for a moment before coming over. I couldn't see the expression of the masked guy, but it probably matched that of the goggles guy. One of hunger and opportunity.

"Well, well, well," I heard a voice behind me. That of the woman, who I was guessing was Blue. "Lookie what we got here, boys. Some fresh meat." The two men chuckled a bit.

"Lookit what she's wearing. Think she came from that vault?" Goggles was pointing at my security armor.

Mask nodded. "Yeah, probably. She must've just walked out. Which means she knows how to get in, too."

I grunted a bit as Blue pulled my hair more, tilting my head back so she could look into my eyes. "I'd say that's a safe bet. So how bout it, girlie? Gonna tell us how to get in? Or are we gonna have to convince you?"

I may have just walked out into this world. I may have had no idea who these people were. But I had a pretty good idea how they would "convince" me. And while quite a few people in the vault had recently pissed me off, I wasn't going to subject them to whatever these people would do to them.

So, I looked Blue right in the eyes and snarled my response to her. "Go to hell, bitch." Then I spat in her face. For emphasis. Probably not the smartest move right there, but oh well.

Blue recoiled a bit from the spit, then yanked my hair back hard, sending me to the ground again. As she wiped her face off, I glanced around and found my gun. Then I started crawling for it. I didn't get far, though, before Blue saw me. "Where do you think you're going, bitch!" She quickly walked to me and aimed a kick, hitting me just below the ribs. I cried out and curled up, struggling to breath.

"Fucking bitch!" She turned me onto my back, straddled me, and punched me across the jaw again. Luckily, she seemed to have dropped her knife when I spit on her. Which was fine by me.

"Think you're fucking tough, huh?" Another punch. "You ain't shit, you stupid fucking Vaultie!" Another punch. I tried blocking her hits. But she was stronger and faster than me. There wasn't much I could do. The two men just stood by and watched as Blue continued punching me. I think they were enjoying the show, actually.

Then, just as she was pulling her arm back to slam her fist into my nose, a gunshot rang out. She twitched as the front of her head exploded out. She went stiff and fell forward onto me, dead. I shrieked in fear and surprise, quickly trying to shove the corpse off of me. I heard two more shots, and once I was clear of the dead woman, I saw that both of the men were also dead.

I took a couple of panicked breaths, then darted more my gun, ignoring the pains in my face and side. Once I had the weapon, I franticly searched my surroundings, trying to see who shot them. I was almost hyperventilating in fear, expecting a horde of people to suddenly appear and rush me.

Instead, there was just one man who appeared from another abandoned house. Almost instantly, my gun was pointed at him "Who are you!?" I shouted at him.

He came to a stop and held his hands out. I could see the stock of a rifle peeking up over his shoulder, but he didn't have anything in his hands. He wore some nicer looking clothes than the other men, a pair of half gloves, a bandana around his head, and a black patch over one eye. "Hey, hey, it's okay! I ain't gonna hurt ya." His voice was definitely nicer than the other guys, too.

"Yeah? That so? Why should I believe you?" I kept my gun aimed at him.

"Besides the fact that I killed them?" He smirked a bit. "I guess you're just gonna have to trust me."

I stayed silent for a moment, weighing my options. I could just shoot him right there and move on. Not worry about it. But, he did save me. And he did seem like he wanted to help. And I really, really didn't want to kill people that weren't attacking me.

So, with a sigh, I lowered my gun. Didn't put it away, though. The man took the hint and slowly came over, making sure not to make any sudden moves. Which I liked. I was twitchy enough that I might have done something stupid.

"Well, thanks for not shooting me, miss. Name's Billy. Billy Creel." He offered his hand to shake. I returned the gesture, noticing how shaky my hand was. Adrenaline must have been wearing off. This was also shown by how much more my face and side was hurting.

"Molly. Molly Brown." I let go off his hand and ran my hand through my hair, still processing all that happened.

"Well, Molly, glad I found ya when I did. No telling what those raiders might've done to ya." He crouched down next to one of the men and started going through his belongings, probably looking for anything useful.

I nodded a bit. And quickly regretted doing that. The pounding in my head quickly got worse, and I scrunched up my eyes and sucked in a breath from the pain. Billy noticed and glanced at me.

"Aw, hell, here I am lootin' when you need attention. Come on, I'll take ya back to Megaton with me. Doc Church can check you out."

So Billy was from Megaton. Awesome. I had no idea who Doc Church was, but he was in Megaton. Good enough for me.

"Okay. Thanks," I muttered. I looked around a bit before I found my helmet. I went to it, wincing as I bent over to grab it. I also spotted the knife Blue had. I hesitated a moment, then decided to take it as well. Bitch was dead. She wouldn't be needing it.

So, with my gun still in my hand, I followed Billy to the settlement of Megaton.

 _Welcome to the Jungle – Guns 'n' Roses_


	3. Ain't Nothing in this World for Free

**Author's Note:** Told you updates would be sporadic. But, seriously, sorry for taking half a year to update. A lot of crap happened in that time period, and I was way too distracted to do any writing. Things have calmed down, so hopefully, updates can become more frequent.

 **Ain't Nothing in this World for Free**

The walk from Springvale to Megaton didn't take long. Which was good, because my face was hurting more and more. I knew my face had to be bruised up pretty bad. I also had to spit up blood a couple times on the way, so I'm pretty sure the inside of my mouth was torn up. I'd been in a couple fist fights before, but nothing that bad. Something told me that such events would be frequent out here.

On the way, Billy didn't say much outside of pointing out where I should watch my step. He seemed to think that I needed some time to myself after that. Maybe he could see how bad I was shaking from the adrenaline rush. I was thankful for that, really. I was still running those events through my mind, trying to deal with it. It'd only been a couple hours since I woke up, and I had already shot three people, watched several more die, and got my face punched in. You could call it a busy morning, I guess.

I was watching the ground as we went, still not quite used to the sight of the sky. So, Billy had to point out the walls of Megaton when we got close. And let me tell you, they were a sight to see. They had to be easily fifty feet high. And they looked like they were made out of whatever metal was available. I swear I saw several wings from jet planes. The front gate was also made from a pair of wings overlapping each other. As we got closer, I heard a loud engine turn on, and the wings slid apart, revealing another gate beyond.

In front of that gate was a robot. It stood about the same height as an average person. It was kind of stocky, with stubby little arms that ended in claw hands. The "head" was an elongated dome that melded with the body, making it look like it didn't have a neck. I recognized it as a Protectron model of robot, built by RobCo way back before the Great War.

The Protectron waved a stubby hand at us as we passed it. "Welcome to Megaton. The bomb is perfectly safe. We promise."

Huh. Never heard a Protectron before. I mean, it's understandable because I've never seen one, but I still didn't expect the voice to sound quite so digital.

Wait...

What was that about the bomb?

As we went through the second gate, I was going to ask Billy for some clarification, but he had his attention diverted by another person. This man was tall and dark, wearing a leather duster and a cowboy hat. Which I thought was silly, but I wasn't gonna tell him that.

"Billy! Glad to see you back. How'd your trip go?"

Billy shook hands with the man. "Pretty good, Lucas. Picked up a stray in Springvale on my way back." Billy jerked his thumb towards me. Lucas glanced at me, and I waved. I would've smiled, but my face hurt.

"Well, hello there." Lucas came over to me and held out his hand, which I shook. "A pleasure to meet you. My name's Lucas Simms. Sheriff, and mayor, when the need arises."

"You too. My name's Molly Brown." That much talking made my jaw hurt more, so I winced and brought my hand up to my face. Which, of course, made it hurt more.

Lucas seemed to have just then noticed the bruises. And blood. "My, what happened to you? Come on, let's take you to Doc Church." He put an arm around my shoulder and guided me forward. I know I probably should've been cautious and tried to get out of his arm. But I was tired. And cranky. And in a lot of pain. So I went with it.

That's when I got a good look at Megaton itself. And, while I couldn't describe exactly what I was expecting, it wasn't this. From the edge of the giant wall in, the ground went sharply downhill towards the center. Basically like a crater. Metal shacks were built up on the slopes of the crater, using stilts as needed to hold them up. They weren't laid out evenly. Like nobody planned where the buildings would go ahead of time, and instead just slapped them wherever they'd fit.

Now, I mentioned that it was a crater, right? Well, what caused the crater was sitting right in the middle. And, wouldn't you know it, the object was a big old bomb. Probably the bomb that Protectron had mentioned. I was stuck nose first in the ground, surrounded by a pool of water. The sight of it definitely worried me. I mean, I had only seen pictures of them, but I was pretty sure that was a nuclear bomb. You know. One of the thousands that fell to the earth a couple hundred years ago? The ones that caused all this destruction and set humanity back a ways? Kind of odd to build a town around it.

Lucas, Billy, and myself headed down the slope towards the bomb. Some of my nervousness must have shown, because Lucas chuckled a bit. "Don't worry about the bomb. It's been sitting there for two hundred years now. It isn't going off." That didn't reassure me much.

At the bottom of the crater, we turned right and went into one of the smaller shacks. The entrance area was kind of small, and dimly lit. The air was a bit dusty. And the smell...made me miss the air purifiers of the vault. Obviously, whoever owned this place wasn't a neat freak.

"Doc? Got a patient for you," Lucas called into the back area of the clinic.

"Alright, hang on a minute." The response was a slightly deeper and gruffer voice than Lucas'. Like the owner was more worn out over life. From the back stepped another dark skinned man. He looked much older than Lucas, though, with his wrinkles and white hair. He was wiping his hands dry with a towel as he looked over our group. "So, Vaultie here got in a fight, huh? She doesn't look too bad."

"Well, she got hit pretty hard by a raider. Took a few punches to the face." Billy almost sounded like he was proud of how much I got hit. Which was weird, honestly.

Doc Church grunted a bit, tossing the towel onto his little desk. "Well, might as well take a look at ya anyways. For once, I ain't got fifty other people to look over." He headed towards the back again. "Come on, girlie."

I glanced at Lucas and Billy for a brief moment, then followed the "doctor" into the back. This area wasn't much cleaner than the entrance. He had a few gurneys set up, with passable curtains around them. One at the end seemed to be in use, as the curtain was shut. He stopped near an empty one and patted it. "Alright, hop up and tell me what hurts."

I dropped what I was carrying to the floor, took off my helmet, and took a seat, wincing a bit at the pain in my side. I must have made a noise when I did, because even though Doc Church was facing the other way, he seemed to notice. "More than just the face, huh?"

I sighed a bit. "Yeah. Some crazy bitch in Springvale kicked me in the side, then punched me in the face a bunch." Doc Church nodded a bit, then gently, but firmly, grabbed my face and moved it a bit as he carefully looked over the damage. He also had me open my mouth so he could look in there briefly.

"Well, nothing's damaged too bad. A stimpack or two should do the job." He let go of my face and took a step back. "Alright, shirt off."

I looked at him with an eyebrow raised, slightly confused. "Uh, what?"

He rolled his eyes. "You got kicked in the side, and it still hurts. I need to see if your ribs are broke. Easier to do without a shirt in the way. Now, come on, hurry up."

Well, he wasn't wrong. I sighed again, then went through the process of removing the security armor. I hissed in pain a couple of times while doing that. Then, after a slight hesitation, I unzipped my jumpsuit and slid it off my torso. Now, I was wearing a bra, so it wasn't like he'd be seeing anything. I just wasn't super comfortable with showing so much of myself to most people. Especially people I just met.

I had to give him credit, though. While not the nicest doctor, he was extremely professional. He checked out the area around the bruise on my side, poking and prodding as much as he needed to. I winced a couple of times, but it wasn't too bad.

"Alright, zip back up." I did so as he stepped back again. "Ribs are fine. Stimpacks will take care of the bruises. Should only need three total. You'll be sore till they're finished healing, but they'll work just fine."

For those of you that don't know, a stimpack is an injector that delivers a medicine designed to speed up the body's healing abilities. What would normally take days to heal would, with a stimpack, take only hours.

"So, three stimpacks. You have any of your own?"

I shook my head a bit. Yes, my dad was the doctor in our vault. Yes, we had medical supplies all over our dorm. But, I was kind of in a hurry. So I forgot about them. Sue me.

"Well I can sell ya some, then. It'll be eighty caps."

I gave my confused expression again. "Caps? What are those?"

Doc Church grunted again. "What, you just leave the vault?" I nodded a bit, and he shook his head a little. "Yeah, figures. Caps are the money out here. And since you don't have any, I'll take some of your gear as payment."

"Wait, hold on, that's not fair! I don't have anything!"

Doc Church shrugged. "Hey, I need to pay for my supplies. So I gotta charge for them. It's completely fair. You want stimpacks from me? I need payment. And you do have some stuff. That armor and helmet will get ya two of them."

"I'm not giving up my armor! I need it!"

I was kind of yelling by this point. Which is why Billy and Lucas came to the back.

"Hey, what's going on in here?" Lucas seemed a little concerned. Makes sense, since he's supposed to be the sheriff here.

Doc Church gestured towards me. "Girl needs stimpacks, but she doesn't have any money. And she won't trade anything else she has."

Billy rooted around in his bag for a moment, then hand a sack to Doc Church. "Here. Nabbed this from the raiders that attacked her. That enough?"

Doc Church quickly counted the caps in the bag, allowing me to finally see what the looked like. They were bottlecaps. From soda bottles. I guess I shouldn't have expected anything else, but still.

He nodded as he closed the bag. "Yep. Let me grab those stimpacks." He went to a shelf on the wall, then came back over and handed me three stimpacks. "Here ya go. Pleasure doing business with you folks." Clearly, that was his way of dismissing us.

Lucas, Billy, and I headed out of the clinic. I took a moment to inject the stimpacks near the bruised areas. It wasn't long before I could feel the slight tingling that meant they were working.

Billy, mentioned something about having to check up on Maggie and headed off towards his house. Lucas waved as he left, then turned back to me. "Well, miss, I'm guessing you came out this way for a reason, right?"

I nodded a little bit. Which still hurt. "Yeah. My dad left the vault, and I'm trying to find him. Did he come this way? His name's James. He's kind of lanky, middle aged. Probably wearing a labcoat over a jumpsuit."

Lucas seemed to think on this for a moment, like he was trying to remember to earlier this morning. I think. In all honesty, I'm not sure what he was thinking at that moment. But, after a short period, he shook his head a bit. "Nope, sorry, can't say I have. You could try asking around town, though."

I sagged a bit at hearing that. I was hoping for something along the lines of my dad hiding right around a corner. Probably should've known better than that. "well, could you point out who might know, then?"

Lucas nodded a bit. "Sure. Two places most visitors stop by would be Moriarty's and Craterside Supply." He pointed out where they were. I also asked him if there was a hotel or something. He said Moriarty's rented rooms, but he recommended staying in the common house. He also pointed out where the community shower was. Then he wished me luck and headed off to take care of some other business.

I sighed a bit in defeat. I was very tired at this point. And sweaty. And covered in blood. Half of which wasn't my own. I really wanted to find out more info about my dad, but I knew I needed rest first. So, I made the trip up the catwalks and to the showers.

 _Ain't No Rest for the Wicked – Cage the Elephant_


	4. Stranger In This Town

**Stranger In This Town**

Community shower stalls weren't new to me. The vault was designed a bit more for efficiency than comfort, so there were a bunch in there. That being said, I still felt a little apprehensive about using these ones.

For one thing, the walls between them didn't go all the way up. Or down. They looked like they were slapped together by somebody that had a vague idea of what showers were supposed to be. Which kind of went with the theme of this place, I guess. But, the thing that affected me the most was that I was about to get naked in an area around people that I didn't know. Or trust.

I know, I know. The odds of somebody doing anything in this place were quite low. I mean, this was a town, basically. They had a sheriff. They wouldn't let people get away with shenanigans like that. But...I was still worried.

So, I took the quickest shower I have ever taken in my life. Ever. Not just because of the slightly unneeded fear, though. The water...was really fucking cold. The people here might have been used to it. But I was used to the vault. We had a water heating system. So this was cold.

Minutes later, I stepped out of the female shower shack, still wet. And shivering. I had forgotten a towel when I ran out of the vault. And, as one of my favorite books had often mentioned, a towel was one of the most useful items a traveler could have. I smirked a little bit at that thought. Which turned into a wince of pain. Right. Face was still hurting.

I knew I should have gone to the common house and went to sleep. But, my slight anxiety over the shower situation was still present, so I didn't want to sleep around people I didn't know. Which meant I might as well look into the places Lucas mentioned. Craterside Supply and Moriarty's. I looked around a bit, and saw the signs for both buildings. Moriarty's was a bit closer, so I went there first.

Moriarty's Saloon was the highest building in the crater. Also one of the largest. It was two stories, with a huge sign on top with its name. Like all of the other buildings here, it seemed to have been hastily slapped together with mostly corrugated metal. There were a few windows around it, but only one door, on the front side. So, still shivering, I approached the door and walked in.

Inside was dusty, smelly, and dark. Directly in front of me was an "L" shaped bar, with the short side facing me, and the long side on my left and running up away from the door. There were several small table with chairs scattered about the main room, Some were taken, but most were empty. I guess that made sense. I didn't really have any drinking experience, but I guess more people would be here at night. And it was still afternoon.

To my right was a small room with more tables. To my left was a set of stairs leading up. Probably to the rooms for rent that Lucas mentioned. Behind the bar was a door that probably went to a storeroom. I could hear a radio playing, but it was heavily filled with static.

As for the people here, like I said, there weren't that many. The was a sort of grizzled, grumpy looking bald guy at the bar, staring into his glass. In the room to the right was a man with sunglasses and a pale suit. He seemed to be watching everybody here. His attention lingered on me for a bit longer than I liked, so I kept looking around. A young blonde woman was at a table near the door, a glass in one hand, a pen in the other, and a sheet of paper in front of her with a bunch of writing on it.

I heard a banging noise, then a a very gravelly voice. "Come on, you stupid thing. Work!"

"Leave it alone, Gob. Radio's fine. Something's fucked up the signal."

I looked to the bar, where the noises were coming from. The second voice belonged to a woman leaning against the bar. She had short red hair, and was wearing a pale blue outfit that only went partway down her thighs. She appeared to be nice enough. She also looked tired.

I didn't have time to think about that, though, because I looked at the figure behind the bar. The one she was talking to. And I reacted without thinking.

"AH! The hell!?"

Everybody in the bar looked up to see me pointing at the figure behind the bar. Well, everybody except the bald guy. He just chuckled a bit and kept drinking.

The reason I jumped and yelled was because the man behind the bar looked like a zombie. Seriously. His skin was peeling off. I could see a lot of his muscles. I mean, he was wearing clothes. Thankfully. But his forearms and head were still exposed. And that was enough. He only had a few strands of hair left on his head. I couldn't really tell what color they were. What skin he did have left was peeling. And decaying. It was kinda nasty, really.

The man seemed just as shocked as I was. He threw his hands up in front of his face and cringed a bit. "I'm sorry! Don't hit me!" His voice was the first one I heard.

At that reaction, I realized what I did. And how I looked. A short, wet girl in a bright blue jumpsuit, point at the guy that was obviously the bartender, yelling at him, and then he reacts like that? Yeah, I felt stupid now. So, I lowered my hand, giving everybody a sheepish look. "Uh...ahem...sorry bout that..."

Way to go, Molly. Great first impression.

The man lowered his hands, still wary, but seeming to be slightly confused as well. "You're not gonna...hit me?" The red headed woman kept watching us. The blonde woman went back to her paper. And the creepy suit guy kept watching me. Wanting to get my attention off of him, I approached the bar, shaking my head. "No, no. I wouldn't do that. I just...um...I just got surprised, is all. I haven't seen somebody...like you, before. Heh." I nervously scratched the back of my head, wondering if I could make this more awkward.

The man breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, well, that's alright, then. Guessing you're from a vault, then, huh?" I nodded a bit. "That makes sense. Name's Gob. Nice to meet you." He offered his hand to shake. I was hesitant to reciprocate, but I couldn't leave him hanging like that. So, I took his hand. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Really. He wasn't slimy at all.

He seemed to like that I actually shook his hand. "I serve the drinks here. And this here is Nova." He gestured to the red headed woman. She gave a nod in greeting, before her attention went to the door as somebody else walked. in.

"Well, uh, nice to meet you. And, again, sorry about the way I reacted. I just...um...what are you?"

Yep. I could make this more awkward. Awesome.

Gob seemed to take the question well enough, though. "I'm a ghoul." I raised an eyebrow in confusion. He chuckled a bit. "Right, you were in a vault. Forgot. I was a human. I got hit by a lot of radiation, and instead of dying, I became this."

"Huh...does that happen a lot?"

Gob shrugged a bit. "No idea. There are a bunch of ghouls around, especially down by the Mall. But I'm betting most people just die from the radiation."

At that point, the door behind the bar opened up, and a man stepped out, looking right at us. He was a bit shorter than Gob. He had white hair on his head and face. He wore black pants and a black vest over a white shirt.

"Hey, Gob! I don't pay ya to talk all day!"

"You don't pay me at all, jackass," I heard Gob whisper under his breath.

The man came over towards us, looking right at me. "Newcomer, eh? Colin Moriarty at your service. Welcome to Moriarty's! My bar, my home, and my little slice of heaven in the backwoods little burg." He had a pretty prominent accent. Irish, I think.

So, yeah, I already didn't like this guy. But, he owned this place. If anybody here would have the info I needed, he would. Guess I had to play nice.

"Hi, nice to meet you. My name's Molly Brown." I offered my hand to him.

As he took it, I saw his eyes taking me in. Sizing me up, I think.

"I'm here because I heard you might happen to know if my father came through? Middle-aged guy, average height, gray hair. Wearing a vault suit. And maybe a lab coat."

Something seemed to click in his mind, because his expression suddenly went from mild interest to dawning comprehension.

"My God...it's you! The wee baby girl, all grown up! Persistent little flower, ain't ya? Been a long time kid. What, eighteen, nineteen years?"

I blinked a few times as I stared at him in dumbfounded silence. "...run that by me one more time?"

He feigned an expression of hurtful shock. "What, your daddy never told you about me? About how you were born out here in the wastes?"

I shook my head in disbelief. "No, we were born in the vault. Everybody there was. They never opened the vault before." Although...

Colin let out a bark of laughter. "Is that what he told you? Oh, the lies we tell those we love!" He shook his head a bit. "No, you were born out in the wastes. Daddy brought you to that vault to keep you safe. I know caused he stayed he a night before he went in. Him, that Brotherhood friend of his, and you, the suckling babe wit nary a tit to suckle. Sorry about your mum. Truly."

That...no. No, dad wouldn't lie to me about that. Would he? I mean...I saw notes saying that the vault was opened before...no! No, he wouldn't do that.

...just like he wouldn't up and leave without telling you, huh?

I shook my head a bit and decided to move forward. "Look, I'll buy your story for now. Point is, dad left the vault, and I need to find him. Did he come through here?"

Colin folded his arms across his chest and nodded a bit. "Oh, yeah, he came through alright. Didn't even have the courtesy to buy a drink. Just asked me for some information and took enough."

I felt some hope grow inside me. Finally, a lead! "Do you know where he went?"

Colin nodded again. "Of course. I make it my business to know everything that's going on around the town. I can even tell you." He then gave me a huge, shit-eating grin. "For a hundred caps."

My mouth fell open. "What!? You're gonna charge me!?"

Colin shrugged a bit. "I'm a business man, sweetie. Information is a hot commodity. I have it, and you want it. I need something I want in return."

"God dammit!' I slammed my fist on the bar in frustration. "You're really gonna make me pay to find out where he went?" Colin just nodded, still grinning.

Fuck it.

"Fine. I don't have caps, but you can have my armor. That's gotta be worth something, right?"

Colin shook his head. "Uh-uh. I don't do trades. Give me the caps, or we have nothing else to discuss."

I stared at him in shock. I couldn't wrap my head around somebody being this despicable. "But I don't have any caps!"

Colin shrugged a bit. "Well, guess you're gonna have to work on that." And then he turned around and walked back into the back room, closing the door behind him.

Gob watched his boss leave, then turned back to me, pity on his face. I think. It was kind of hard to read half of a face, honestly. "Sorry bout that kid. I remember the guy, but Colin's the only one he talked to here." HE glanced back at the door, then quickly brought a bottle up and slid it over to me. "Here. Nuka-Cola, on the house. Just, uh, drink it in that side room, so Colin doesn't see. He'd hit me good if he knew."

That was both unsurprising and sad. "Thanks...Gob." I took the bottle and headed into the room, still in a kind of shock. I sat down, twisted the cap off, and decided to pocket it. There's one down. Ninety-nine more to go.

I was about to take a swig when I noticed the suit guy watching me. He was still creepy. And I was extremely frustrated now. So, I got a bit...rude.

"The fuck do you want?"

He cleared his throat, got up, and sat down at my table, across from me. "Greetings, I'm Mr. Burke. I couldn't help but overhear the conversation you had with patron of this establishment."

"Yeah, probably because you've been staring at me since I walked in."

He cleared his throat again. "Yes, well, that's because your arrival here has opened up a unique opportunity that I wish to discuss with you. One we could both benefit from, judging by the previous conversation."

I thought on that for a moment. "Wait...are you saying that you know where my father went.?"

Burke shook his head. "No, as the ghoul said, your father only spoke with Moriarty. No, I can help you in another way. I have a job available for you. One that I would be willing to pay one hundred caps for you to do."

That got my interest. I took a swig so I could stall for time. To think about it. The guy was suspicious. But...I needed the money.

"Alright, I'll bite. What's the job?"

Burke seemed to light up a bit at that. "I work for a gentleman who has a wonderful view for the future of the Capital Wasteland. He envisions a future for the land that will make it a shinning example of civilization for-"

I decided to cut him off. "Drop the sales pitch. What's the job?"

He seemed slightly perturbed by that, but he continued. "Yes. The job is simple." He reached into his suit jacket and brought out a small electronic device, setting it before me. "Simply place this on the bomb in the center of town. Once you've done that, meet me at Tenpenny tower for your payment."

I picked up the device and looked at it. One side had a flat plate on it. The other had a couple LED lights. Didn't seem like much, really. "What is this?"

Burke waved his hand a bit. "Nothing of your concern. Just place the device on the bomb. That's it."

I didn't trust this at all. I mean, the first thing that popped into my head is that as soon as I did that, the bomb would blow up. Unlikely, but still. I didn't want to risk it. However, I also thought that if I told Burke no, then he'd do something to force me into the task. Or attack me. I wasn't sure. So, I took the device and placed it into my bag. "Okay. You got yourself a deal."

Burke grinned widely, apparently pleased with himself. "Excellent. I knew you were the right person for this." Then he rose from his seat and headed out the door.

I sat there, drinking my Nuka-Cola, wondering what I was gonna do next.

 _Young Lust – Pink Floyd_


End file.
